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Student Health Survey: Resources for Parents

About the Student Health Survey

The Student Health Survey (SHS) is a comprehensive, school-based, anonymous and voluntary health survey of 6th, 8th and 11th graders. It is a key part of statewide efforts to help local schools and communities ensure that all Oregon youth are healthy and successful learners.

The SHS is designed to address:

  • Student health and safety
  • Student mental and behavioral health
  • School climate and culture
More information on SHS

FAQs for Parents

Because healthy kids learn better.

Good health is an essential educational tool. No curriculum is brilliant enough to compensate for a hungry stomach or a distracted mind. Protective factors, such as supportive adults at school, lead to better health and education outcomes. Trauma, hunger, mental health challenges, bullying and lack of access to necessary medical care make it difficult for Oregon youth to reach their full potential.

Research shows that healthy students have better attendance, get higher grades and test scores and are less likely to skip school, drop out, or engage in risky behaviors.

The Student Health Survey is the only source of statewide data that gives a snapshot of how students are doing physically, emotionally and socially.

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No. Your child’s privacy (and yours) are protected.

The SHS is an anonymous and confidential survey. We do not ask for any identifying information, and it is not possible to link survey responses to a particular student, parent or family.

Population-based data guides local policy discussions about issues that affect students’ health, well-being and resilience.

The Student Health Survey (SHS) enables schools and communities to know how many students are devel​oping successfully and how many are having problems. Schools can then focus on improving outcomes for young people. It is an important tool that schools and communities can use to identify problems and measure progress towards addressing them.​

​Fill out the bottom of the parental notification form and return it to the school office.

We respect parents’ decisions and have made it easy for you to opt your child out of the survey. Simply fill in the bottom of the parental notification form sent by the school, sign it, and return it to the school’s front office. The school will make sure that your child does not take the survey.​

​SOGI is included as part of the “demographics” section of the survey. Oregon has collected sexual orientation data since 2006, reflecting the state's commitment to understanding health disparities among all youth populations. Gathering this information helps public-health professionals, schools, and communities - in a confidential, aggregated way - to identify health disparities and better understand how different groups of youth are faring. This data enables more effective, targeted prevention and support programs, especially for groups who may face elevated risk. ​

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Collecting data across many topics (including SOGI) helps provide a comprehensive picture of youth health, well-being, and risk factors. That picture helps schools, public-health agencies, and community partners identify where students may need additional supports (for example, mental-health resources, inclusive school climate efforts, or substance-use prevention). SHS is often the only source of reliable, statewide data on adolescent health trends in Oregon.

Additionally, even offering the questions - while making answering optional - ensures that all students, including those who are LGBTQ+ or exploring identity, are counted. Without this data, health disparities could be masked, and unmet needs could go unrecognized.​


No. Research shows that asking youth about sensitive topics does NOT harm them and does NOT get them to try it.

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) states that there is no evidence that simply asking students about health risk behaviors encourages that behavior. The only way to determine if adolescents are at risk is to ask.

Some of the survey questions may be considered sensitive. Questions are age-appropriate and presented in a straightforward and sensitive manner. Students can choose not to answer any question that may make them uncomfortable.​

A copy of the questionnaire is available on our we​bsite, or at your school's front office. There are separate questionnaires for 6th, 8th and 11th grade.

The SHS asks about resilience factors and risk behaviors that directly impact students’ health and well-being, including:

  • Support at school
  • Community engagement
  • Absenteeism
  • Emerging public health issues, such as e-cigarette use
  • Food insecurity, nutrition and physical activity
  • Physical, emotional and mental health
  • Injury prevention (impaired driving, suicide, the choking game and non-consensual sex)
  • Sexual health relating to the prevention of unintended pregnancies and STIs
  • Substance use (e-cigarettes, tobacco, alcohol, marijuana and prescription drug use)
  • Demographics, including race, ethnicity, and sexual and gender identity, to assess health disparities
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​Have questions about the survey?

Email StudentHealth.Survey@dhsoha.state.or.us​ and we’ll respond as quickly as we can.​

Email Survey Staff